"Dark Star" is a single-player lunar lander game written in BASIC in 1983 by Bernhard Kirsch for the Commodore C64. The game was published in 1983 as a type-in listing in "CPU - Computer Programmiert zur Unterhaltung" (English "Computers Programmed for Entertainment") magazine by Roeske Verlag. You can find it on pages 18 to 21 of issue 01/1984.
You can collect bonus points by picking up the stranded astronauts before you return to the red target plane. Keep an eye on the V/D meter that indicates velocity and drift. Both values must be near zero when you land on the red target plane. The game controls are as follows:
- F1 - Full thrust
- F3 - 3/4 trust
- F5 - 1/2 trust
- F7 - 1/4 trust
- CBM - Ignite left drift
- SHIFT - Ignite right drift
The download contains the program in source form. Click the image below to watch the video on YouTube.
Interestingly, the version in the video is slightly different from the final binary and contains a graphic of the joystick and the keys for the controls.
These are some sample screens.
